We recently posted an article entitled 7 Steps To Sell Your House … Fast! We’re constantly bombarded with the turbulence of the real estate markets. But real estate is a very local business – you need to understand what’s going on in your market, not the national market.

We think the simplest way to do that is by contracting with a realtor. It’s also the most effective way to sell your house. They are professionals immersed in the market every day.

They will help you get the best price possible for your home, given market conditions. It’s also likely that they will sell your house faster than any other way, short of an auction. In short, they will earn every penny you pay them.

We’ll assume you don’t already know a good realtor, because if you did you probably wouldn’t be reading this article. How do you select the right realtor for you?

Get referrals This is the single best way to find a good realtor. Talk to friends, neighbors, business associates, and your hair stylist. They hear it all! Ask them who they would use to sell their house. When you start hearing a name over and over, you have a good lead!

Interview themNow that you have two or three names, set up a meeting to talk with them. Respect their time – good realtors are busy people. Offer to meet at their office or some other convenient place. You may even interview them over the phone.

You’re looking for two things from your realtor – someone with whom you have good chemistry and someone who can deliver the results you want.

You have to feel comfortable with your realtor at the start because selling your home can be very stressful. You have to know they can deliver so you trust them, even if little to nothing seems to be happening.

Verify their informationThe easiest way to do this is to look up their REALTOR® listing. You can see what professional designations they’ve earned. You should also ask for third-party verification for any claims that were made. For instance, did they tell you about a national award or did they show you proof?

Follow-up on referencesGood agents will be happy to provide you with references to two or three satisfied sellers. The more recently they’ve sold, the better – you want to talk to people who faced circumstances as close as possible to yours. Contact them to see if they would use the realtor again.

Hire your agentPick the agent you think is best suited for the task at hand. Once you made the decision, notify them to get the process rolling. You should also drop a note to any other realtors you interviewed thanking them again.

Choosing a realtor is perhaps the most important decision you will make when selling your house. A good realtor will make the rest of the process much more manageable. Choose your realtor well and sell your house … fast!